Anna Pankratova has been a participant in numerous art competitions and in 2002 she won at the Kent Sister City Association, USA International Art Competition. Her jewelry designs are intricately detailed pieces made from polymer clay that one looks at in wonder.  Anna also tutors kids in art and gives them the support they need to begin to master their craft.

ToonariPost (TP): If there was any art medium that you wish you could master, what would it be and why?

Anna Pankratova (AP): I am a supporter of specified ideology. I believe that a man must engage in business that he enjoys and brings pleasure and heartfelt harmony to the being. For me, art is my heartfelt harmony. I enjoy art for its many, different displays – painting, drawing, sculpting, graphic arts, and through education of art.

TP: What are your goals in life? Do you plan to continue art as a hobby or make it a career?

AP: Confucius once said that if one engages in a favorite business, one will never have to work. Art was never simply the hobby for me. Similarly, I would call it a job or a responsibility. Art is the air that I breathe, which separates me from reality, and into my own world. In the near future, I hope to advance my artistic mastery, and I would like to establish my first art studio.

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

AP: It is relatively difficult to answer this question. To me, all artists have a non-standard perception of the world, however they have distinctions toward a particular direction of an idea. I would not like to place myself superior to somebody. I put myself parallel to others. I find that people, of any background, all have the ability to exert potential. I am very interested in visiting modern art exhibitions, finding inspiration and awe in the grand works of art masters.

TP: Can you tell me more about your background? What experiences brought you to be the person you are today?

AP: I am an artist, a designer, and an architect from Kherson, Ukraine. I was born into a family of architects. Therefore, it is accurate to say I have the genetic predisposition to the arts. After studying for a few years in art school, I progressed to study in an architectural academy. I took part in many exhibitions and competitions. In 2002 I won in an international artistic competition in Kent (USA) “No borders – only friends“. Today as a side-job I take the time to private-tutor young children, encouraging and engaging them to fine arts and design.

TP: What made you decide to tutor young children?

AP: I had a long history in terms of my passion for art. During a period, prior to working a job, my teacher from art school referred me to tutor students who may be interested in pursuing art. Effortlessly, I took her advice and began tutoring a female student who had the desire to enter an architectural academy. Through teaching a few students, nowadays, I also develop my own professional artistic abilities. Most important is not to impose the ideas and manner of work to the students, but to create ground for the height of their own capabilities and ideas.

TP: What types of art do you have them work on? Can you give me an example of some of the works your students have created?

AP: They are natural life form, geometrical figures, domestic objects, architectural compositions and details, sketches of people, and the like, all possess vivacious life. Through this life exists an endless abundance of vivid opportunities. As for my art students, I begin teaching them through developing an individual program for every one of my students. Generally, I assess what may be the student’s interests or what may peak his or her curiosity.

Here are few examples of their work: “bottles and shells” Author Anna Marinicheva”, “Still life with a shell Author Anna Marinicheva”, “Fruits Author Anna Marinicheva”.

TP: What advice do you give your students when they become frustrated with their art?

AP: In order to achieve a guarantee of success in any field, one must have the passion for the type of work he or she engages in. The same applies to the field of art. Generally, as an aspiring art student, one must have the ambition, the drive, the love, and the passion to design and draw. For instance, the art of still life. Firstly, an individual may see the emotion portrayed through the inanimate object and he must try to transfuse it. The inanimate object exerts a special aura or energy.

Image Courtesy of  Anna Pankatrova

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